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Matthew 27:27–56

The death of Jesus

Matthew emphasised something. It was the way that people laughed at Jesus. They insulted him. There were Gentile (non- Jewish) soldiers. There were Jews who stood and watched. There were the Jewish religious leaders. Also there were even criminals. They all refused to accept Jesus.

People thought that Jesus had no worth. They refused to accept him. They laughed about two things. First, they laughed about the things that he had said about himself (Matthew 27:43). Next, they laughed about his actions. The things that he had said about himself were wonderful. The people reminded him about them. He had said that he was king of the Jews (Matthew 27:29, 37). He had said that he would build the new Temple (Matthew 27:40). He had said that he was the Son of God (Matthew 27:43). But his great acts should have been proof enough. They should have caused people to examine the facts. However, people did not do it then. They do not do it now.

One phrase shows Jesus’ real worth. It is ‘the Son of God’ (Matthew 27:54). The soldier may not have understood its full meaning. But Matthew and the other NT writers want us to know it. Jesus had all God’s nature. Jesus was really God who became a man. He was ‘Immanuel, God is with us’. (Read Matthew 1:23 and Isaiah 7:14.)

So, nothing else is like our Christian faith. God showed himself to all people. When people looked at God’s Son, they saw God. In this passage, Matthew teaches 4 great truths about Jesus’ work.

  • Jesus wanted to save other people. So he refused to save himself (Matthew 27:42). There was a great truth in what the religious leaders said. Jesus chose not to save himself.
  • Jesus suffered because of sin (Matthew 27:45–46). These two verses emphasise something. It is this. Jesus took the punishment for our sin. In the Bible, darkness is often the sign of punishment for sin. So, darkness in that country as Jesus died was a sign. It showed the fact that Jesus was taking our sin upon himself. We deserve God’s punishment because of our sin. At the cross, Jesus suffered that punishment for us. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:21.) But Matthew 27:46 teaches another truth. God had to turn away from his Son, Jesus. This broke the unity of God. We cannot understand this mystery. But we can understand the lesson that it teaches. It teaches that sin is a very serious matter. Also it teaches about God’s great love for sinners. It hurt the Father and the Son so much. But they did it for us. Now, we can be free from the punishment for sin.
  • Jesus brought two great benefits to all who follow him (Matthew 27:51). First, we can know that God forgives us. Then we can come close to God. The curtain in the Temple was a sign. It showed that sin had separated people from God. The High Priest could go behind that curtain only once a year. But first he had to offer a sacrifice for sin. (Compare Leviticus chapter 16 with Hebrews chapter 9 and 10:19-22.) Jesus was the final sacrifice for sin. Now we can come to God freely.
  • Jesus ended the terrible results of sin (Matthew 27:52-53). This wonderful event reminds us about something important. It is that if people sin, God must punish them. And they will die. (Read Romans 6:23.) Jesus died and came back to life. This means that we need not die. It is true that our bodies still die. But what happened to Jesus is God’s promise to us. We will come back to life again. (Read 1 Corinthians 15:1–23 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.) There will be a new heaven and a new earth too. (Read Revelation 21:1–5.)

Questions

  • Imagine that you are the soldier. You are watching Jesus who is on the cross. What do you see? What do you think about Jesus? Some speakers talk in detail about the awful physical pain of the cross. Do you think that this is right?
  • People have used art to show the death of Jesus. They have done this in each century. Do these pictures help us to understand why Jesus died? In what ways are they helpful or unhelpful?
  • What are the most important things that are true in the Christian message? If someone asked you this question, what would you say? Say it briefly. Say it in words that non-Christians would understand.